Letter Writing. A How-To Guide to Filing a Complaint

Phone Calls Not Getting You Anywhere? it May Be Time to Turn Things Up a Notch

If you've ever had to deal with a large corporation, government agency, or other service provider, chances are likely that you've encountered a problem. If you've complained about the problem and found yourself brushed off or ignored, you may feel that it's time to write a complaint letter.

Complaint letters are beneficial for multiple reasons. One, your entire complaint is heard without interruption or sidetracking. Two, a complaint letter is documentation of a problem. If you can prove (by sending a copy of the letter) that you have tried to address the problem previously to no avail, supervisors, watch groups, and others are more likely to listen to your complaint. If an issue has to go to court at some point, complaint letters are part of the 'paper trail' that can help you prove your side of the argument.

As such, complaint letters can be extremely important, and the art of writing a complaint letter properly shouldn't be overlooked.

Having had a tremendous amount of success with writing complaint letters when nothing else was getting through, I have decided to share some of the things I have learned along the way. Better to be a thorn in their sides than they be a thorn in yours.

Headers are important

Headers are, obviously, at the top of a letter and contain valuable information. If you don't have a proper header, it can reflect badly on you and lead to your complaint not being addressed.

Headers should contain vital information. What is required depends on circumstance, but there are general rules.

All headers should include the date. This will be highly beneficial in case your complaint isn't addressed. You can prove to people that you have had a problem for a documented length of time, and that you've addressed it in writing..

Headers should typically also include the address to which you are sending the complaint letter. This will document where you sent your complaint letter, in case further action is needed. I also recommend putting the person's or department's name below the company name so that they can direct your complaint letter properly.